Objective
Evidence suggests protective effects of vitamin D and anti-tumour immunity on colorectal cancer risk. Immune cells in tumour microenvironment can convert 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] to bioactive 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, which influences neoplastic and immune cells as an autocrine and paracrine factor. Thus, we hypothesised that the inverse association between vitamin D and colorectal cancer risk might be stronger for cancers with high-level immune response than those with low-level immune response.
Design
We designed a nested case-control study (318 rectal and colon carcinoma cases and 624 matched controls) within the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, using molecular pathological epidemiology database. Multivariable conditional logistic regression was used to assess the association of plasma 25(OH)D with tumour subtypes according to the degree of lymphocytic reaction, tumour-infiltrating T-cells (CD3+, CD8+, CD45RO+ and FOXP3+ cells), microsatellite instability, or CpG island methylator phenotype.
Results
The association of plasma 25(OH)D with colorectal carcinoma differed by the degree of intratumoural periglandular reaction (Pheterogeneity=0.001); high 25(OH)D was associated with lower risk of tumour with high-level reaction [comparing the highest vs. lowest tertile: odds ratio, 0.10; 95% confidence interval, 0.03 to 0.35; Ptrend<0.001], but not risk of tumour with lower-level reaction (Ptrend>0.50). A statistically non-significant difference was observed for the associations of 25(OH)D with tumour subtypes according to CD3+ T-cell density (Pheterogeneity=0.03; adjusted statistical significance level of α=0.006).
Conclusion
High plasma 25(OH)D level is associated with lower risk of colorectal cancer with intense immune reaction, supporting a role of vitamin D in cancer immunoprevention through tumour-host interaction.